Digimon Survive guide – all the tips and tricks for the digital world

Digimon Survive is quite the departure from anything we’ve seen the massive ‘mon series try before, with a darker world, strategy-orientated battles, and a karma system that changes the game as you go. So, it can be difficult to adjust for new players, or those used to the cosy confines of the Digimon World series, but how exactly should you go about making sense of the fresh adventure? 

With our Digimon Survive guide, that’s how. From using your slabs the second you find them, to picking up a party of Digimon recruits, we’ve got all the Digimon Survive tips and tricks you need to power through this adventure with all your monster pals in tow. Better still, this list is completely free of those crucial story spoilers, so you can read to your heart’s content no matter your current progression. 

For more specific companion pieces to making the most of Agumon and the gang, be sure to check out our Digimon Survive evolution, Digimon Survive Guilmon, and Digimon Survive karma guides. Or, if you still haven’t decided on taking a trip into Bandai Namco’s nuanced reimagining of this classic series, see if our Digimon Survive review can give you the push you need.

Now, let’s get into the good stuff.

Digimon Survive tips and tricks

Make some friends

Without ruining any of Digimon Survive’s storyline, there are multiple occasions in which you won’t be able to rely on specific partner Digimon like Aoi’s Labramon or Minoru’s Falcomon. So, you need to make sure you’ve got some good backup Digimon to take to the fight, and the best way of doing this is by trying to get Digimon Survive recruits in free or shadow battles, we recommend you click the link for a detailed guide. 

Use your slabs 

Following our last point, you should also evolve your Digimon recruits as soon as possible, using any of the Digimon Survive slabs you have at your disposal. While you can’t decide when to unleash the true power of partner Digimon until specific moments in the story, as soon as slabs are unlocked you can begin to evolve your Digimon recruits into more powerful versions of themselves, perfect for picking off early-to-mid game bosses. 

Pull out your camera 

It can be easy to miss useful items hidden in the world of Digimon Survive if you don’t pull your camera out at almost every opportunity. When exploring the areas through your journey, especially in sections where you talk to the teens scattered around the abandoned school grounds, there are often glitches or distortions you can only see with your camera. These either offer an item, or put you in a shadow battle against some strong Digimon, and are worth looking for in every corner. 

Use your moves 

During your adventure, you will regularly find equipable items that boost your Digimon’s stats, but you can also find equip items that offer individual Digimon new moves. You can find these special moves on the equipment menu, and they’re easily identifiable by their placement at the top of the list, as well as the fireball or scratch-mark icons that appear in their descriptions. 

Talk it out

When you’re in battle, be sure to make the most of the talk option to communicate with your own party members as this will give them extra in-game boosts. For example, if you choose to talk to Aoi during Agumon’s turn, Aoi will boost Agumon’s HP before or after its attacks. In my opinion, the most useful of these buffs is through talking with Minoru, who gives Digimon an extra movement square for covering the battlefield, but they‘re all worth using whenever available. 

Save, save, save 

With so many decisions in Digimon Survive that affect both the trajectory of the story, as well as your affinity with individual characters, it’s always a good idea to save before making a big call. Fortunately, you can save from the data management option every time you’re presented with a choice, so you can save and reload from the exact moment if you make the wrong decision. 

Don’t Google 

This is a more abstract one, but if you want your Digimon Survive experience to be completely free of spoilers, Google is not your friend. Trust me on this one, just don’t Google the names of any of the characters until your first playthrough is complete, or if you really have to, use our spoiler-free Digimon Survive characters guide, and you can enjoy the story as intended.  

Eat your greens

Throughout your Digimon Survive journey, you’ll find helpful stat-boosting training items like the Giant Mushroom, which increases max HP, or the Clobber Carrot, which elevates the ATK stat. You should use these as soon as you find them as they’re surprisingly common, and some of the partner Digimon in your ranks might need stat boosts in certain areas (I’m looking at you, Syakomon’s ATK stats). 

There you have it, our comprehensive Digimon Survive guide to get you off to the best start in this dangerous adventure. If you want to check up on all the monsters included in this journey, check out our full Digimon Survive Digimon list, and when you’ve seen them all, try out another adventure with our picks for the best Digimon games.